Gintama x Reader One Shots

Hijikata Toushirou x Reader: Sleep

Shinsengumi officer (L/N) (F/N)'s day had been anything but restful. She had found Katsura at a ramen shop, only to almost get blown to smithereens by one of his bombs. She had chased some minor Joui through the streets, only to fall into the sewer, and after all that, when she was covered in burns and smelling like shit, she still had several hours of paperwork to do.

After a day like that, one would think she would fall asleep the moment her head hit her pillow, right?

Wrong. After finally finishing her paperwork at one in the morning, (F/N) collapsed into her futon, waiting for the sweet release of sleep. And waiting...and waiting...and waiting.

(F/N) checked the clock. Three AM. Shit.

She rolled over, burying her face in her pillow and wondering if it would be better to smother herself rather than continue living in this empty, sleep-deprived hell. In the end, she decided that if she died, she would not be able to watch the next episode of her favorite anime, and that would suck. No smothering then. On to the next plan.

She could either remain in bed, staring at nothing and wishing for the sweet release of sleep, or she could do something. What? She could watch anime...read a book...look for someone to complain to...

That last option sounded like the way to go.

(F/N) reached out, and pulled herself out of her futon with both arms. Then she dragged herself to her feet, stumbled a bit, and meandered into the hallway of identical doors.

The first person she thought to look for was Okita—after all, he frequently stayed up late practicing black magic—but when (F/N) reached his room, no light came from behind the door. She inched the door open, and saw him snoring peacefully, his sleep mask over his face. That did not mean he was asleep, but after a moment of contemplation, (F/N) decided not to risk waking him up.

She was about to trudge back to her room when she noticed the light across the hall was on. It took her sleep-deprived mind a moment to remember who slept there.

Hijikata.

(F/N) slid the door open without bothering to announce herself, and Hijikata took no notice of her presence. They'd known each other so long, she was basically just part of the scenery.

Now that she had found another person, (F/N) didn't know what to do. At first, she had thought she wanted to complain. Really, though, all she wanted to do was sleep.

With nothing but a brief, irritated grunt, (F/N) crossed the room, and sat next to him, leaning against his shoulder.

Hijikata glanced at her.

"What? Are you going to complain I'm up too late?"

(F/N) buried her face in his shoulder. "Can't sleep. Feel shitty."

He averted his gaze, and for a moment, (F/N) felt a little bad. He'd never been the best at dealing with emotions—his own or other people's.

He scratched the back of his head.

"So?" he muttered. "What do you want me to do about it?"

(F/N) frowned. What did she want? Company? Company and sleep.

"Can I stay here tonight?" she asked, lifting a hand to tug on his sleeve.

Hijikata sighed, and flipped over one of the papers on his desk. "Fine, but I'm going to be working a while longer. Futon's over there.

(F/N) shook her head, and Hijikata groaned.

"Fine."

(F/N) smiled, and closed her eyes. It had been a while since she'd felt the warmth of another person, and it was nice.

"Toushirou-kun," she murmured, "stroke my hair please?"

A pause. Then he shifted her weight so she no longer leaned on his arm, and raised his now-free hand to her head. (F/N) relaxed under his touch, and little by little, she drifted into dreamland.

~o0o~

Finally, Hijikata signed the last of the papers. He set it aside with a sigh. At last, it was time for bed.

"(F/N)-chan, I'm—"

He looked down, and there she was, fast asleep, her face pressed into his side, a stupidly happy smile on her face.

Hijikata sighed.

"Looks like I'm staying right here tonight."